Trick or treat
by momac
Summary: An outbreak of practical jokes onboard Voyager quickly escalates into a life-threatening situation. (J/C)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer – Ok folks, time for that necessary evil...the disclaimer. I own nothing except for the words on this page; Paramount owns everything blah blah blah blah. 

Summary - An outbreak of practical jokes onboard Voyager quickly escalates into a life threatening situation. This is a work in progress,feedback would therefore be gratefully appreciated!

Trick or Treat

Momac 2002

Prologue

Bridge.  
USS Hartford

'Captain…'

The young ensign manning the ops console hesitated for a moment, his eyes scanning the data displayed beneath his fingertips. Nerves warred with excitement as he relayed his findings to his commanding officer.

'… long range sensors are picking up an obstacle in our path.'

Captain Harry Kim, Commanding officer of the USS Hartford smiled to himself as he watched the earnest young man stumble over his words. An image flashed into his mind of another young ensign, fresh out of the Academy, who'd signed up for what turned out to be the longest three week mission of his life.

It had been many years since Voyager's triumphant return to the Alpha Quadrant and time had been kind to him, limiting its touch to a sprinkling of silver in hair that had once been jet black. It was the weight of command that had carved the frown lines into his forehead and tempered his enthusiasm for the unknown.

'On screen.'

All eyes turned towards the view screen where a dusting of stars decorated the barren expanse of space. The minutes dragged out as an uncomfortable silence descended on the bridge.

'What exactly should we be looking for, Ensign?'

The question came from the Hartford's first officer, Commander Jack Shaw. The frown that accompanied it had the young man in question breaking out into a cold sweat.

'Sensors indicate an unidentified object at bearing…'

Harry stared at the view screen; his attention riveted on a faint smudge on the far left of the screen.

'Computer…magnify sector 24B.'

The image jumped, bringing the smudge into sharp focus.

Harry's heart began to race, the relentless beat echoing inside his head. Oblivious to his surroundings, he stared horrified at the small box spinning across the screen. It was exactly as he remembered it, right down to the small nick in the face of the dial that dominated one side; a dial that even now glowed softly against the backdrop of space.

'Captain…is there a problem?'

Harry tried to answer but words failed him.

'Doctor to the bridge!'

It took every ounce of willpower Harry possessed to tear his eyes away from the view screen but he was no longer the naive young ensign he'd once been. He was a Captain now, responsible for the lives of over a hundred crewmen and he'd be damned if he was going to let history repeat itself.

'Belay that order…'

Ignoring the concerned looks directed his way, Harry focused his attention on his security officer.

'Lieutenant Carey, lock phasers on the target and prepare to fire on my mark.

'Captain, I…'

'That's an order, Lieutenant.'

The young man swallowed nervously, his eyes flitting between the two men standing in the centre of the bridge.

'Aye, Captain…target locked in, phasers armed and ready.'

'Fire!'

It was all over in the space of a heartbeat, the explosion flaring bright for a second before fading forever as the remnants of the box scattered to the four corners of the universe…


	2. Part One

**Part One**

**Trading sector  
Grathor II  
Delta Quadrant  
20 years earlier…**

Lurking in the shadows at the end of a run down market place, it seemed an unlikely setting in which to find a fancy dress costume, yet something seemed to draw Harry in.

Desperation ranked high on the list of possible incentives…he had less than an hour to locate the perfect outfit before he was due back to the rendezvous point where, no doubt, a grinning Tom Paris would be waiting to inspect his purchases. He was beginning to wish he'd stuck with his original plan to replicate a costume from the computer's database…trust Tom to complicate matters!

The tattered remnants of what might once have been a shop sign hung precariously from a rusted nail above his head, groaning loudly in protest whenever a stray gust of wind brushed against it. Intrigued Harry moved closer, squinting into the murky gloom in an attempt to identify the goods on display. In the end the grime encrusted window forced him to use the sleeve of his uniform to clear away the dust that seemed to cling to everything on this planet.

Strange objects spilled out of the darkness. Piled one on top of the other they competed with the ever-present dust for space. In one corner what he took to be parchment manuscripts tumbled out of a cupboard drawer onto the floor below. Stray fingers of light danced over jeweled bottles half filled with fine-grained powders of every hue. It was truly an Aladdin's cave of useless objects and as such was utterly irresistible to one who had spent the last six years cocooned within the sterile environment of a starship.

Reaching out Harry placed his hand against the metal plate set into the doorway. Much to his surprise the door slid noiselessly open at his command, beckoning him into the gloomy interior…

* * *

**All Hallows Eve  
0900**

'Neelix, slow down. You might even try breathing occasionally. The Doctor assures me it does wonders for the complexion.'

Captain Kathryn Janeway resisted the temptation to smile at the earnest expression on the face of her self-appointed morale officer. Glancing to the side, she caught her first officer giving the Talaxian a nod of encouragement.

'I'm sorry Captain, I've only just been made aware of the various traditions associated with today's date. All I need are a few hours more…'

Kathryn leant back in her chair as she scanned the faces of her senior officers, currently ranged around the table in the conference room adjacent to the bridge. It didn't take a genius to work out which particular crewmember had alerted Neelix to the significance of All Hallows Eve. She was just surprised it had taken them this long into their journey through the Delta Quadrant for the matter to come up.

As if sensing her thoughts, Lt. Tom Paris looked up from the data padd that had kept him occupied for the past few minutes and fired off a mischievous grin in her direction. Kathryn had to admire the audacity of her helmsman. It was obvious from the sparkle in Tom's eyes that he was intimately acquainted with the fine details of Neelix's 'surprise'. It was equally obvious that he had no intention of enlightening her anytime soon.

She returned fire with a half-hearted glare that only seemed to aggravate the situation by turning the grin into a smirk. With a sense of impending doom Kathryn dragged her thoughts back to the matter in hand.

'Let me get this straight…' Tapping her fingers against the side of her coffee cup, she weighted up the pro's and con's of Neelix's latest request. '…you would like to commandeer both holodecks in order to prepare for a 'Halloween Party.'

Kathryn paused for a moment as she drained the last dregs from her cup. A slight grimace slipped past her defenses as the bitter liquid settled on her tongue. With a wistful sigh she pushed the now empty cup to the side before continuing.

'In addition to this you also require the release of several officers from Bridge duties to assist you in the programming and implementation of said party, effective immediately…'  
  
Seven pairs of eyes focused on their Captain as her senior officers awaited her decision with varying degrees of interest, ranging from bewilderment to barely suppressed excitement.

In the end if was the pleading look in Neelix's eyes that swayed the decision in his favour.

'I think we can accommodate you there, Neelix…'

She held up a hand to stop the flood of words that threatened to flow from his mouth. It was, however, a futile gesture as Neelix's tongue tripped over itself in its haste to make his appreciation known.

He was still thanking her five minutes later, when his eyes fell on the chronometer located on the shelf behind the Captain's head. The words dried up on his lips as he watched the precious seconds slip away.

Taking advantage of the sudden silence Kathryn brought the meeting to a speedy conclusion, watching amused as Neelix all but ran from the room. It wasn't until the doors slid shut behind all but one of her officers that Kathryn allowed herself to relax. The interview had lasted less than fifteen minutes yet she felt as if she had gone ten rounds with the Borg Queen.

Resting her chin on her hand she turned to look at Chakotay, who seemed to be doing his level best to avoid her gaze.

'So _Commander…_' Kathryn leant heavily on his title, throwing in a frown for added effect. 'What, _exactly_, is it he's doing in there?'

Chakotay simply grinned at her; two could play at that game.

'Now _Captain_, you know I can't tell you. Neelix wanted it to be a surprise for both you and the crew. You wouldn't want to disappoint him, would you?'

He'd backed her into a corner and they both knew it. Resigned to her fate Kathryn rose and made her way over to the replicator in search of fresh coffee.

If there was one thing in this life that was guaranteed to drive Kathryn Janeway to drink it was the word 'surprise'.

* * *

**All Hallows Eve  
1300**

'Harry…Harry…Harry.' Tom Paris shook his head sadly as he cast an experienced eye over his friend's latest purchase. 'They must have seen you coming. Six years of studying with the master and your _still_ throwing your money away on useless junk. Perhaps it's genetic…'

B'Elanna tore her gaze away from the ornately carved cube long enough to come to Harry's defense.

'Go easy on him, helm boy. At least this is _harmless _junk.'

'Alice wasn't junk…she was just …'

He was about to say 'misunderstood' but a warning growl from B'Elanna suggested a change of topic would be advisable.

'I just don't see the point of a box you can't open.'

Feeling unappreciated, Tom turned and threw himself down on Harry's couch with the air of a man resigned to his fate.

'I'm not sure it's supposed to.'

Harry turned the cube over in his hands, his fingers gliding across the polished metal as they traced the intricate design scrawled across its surface. No matter how many times he followed the delicate lines, he couldn't seem to unravel the pattern. As always, his fingers stopped when they reached the edge of the raised dial that dominated one of the faces.

B'Elanna followed his gaze, her curiosity piqued.

'Some kind of timepiece? It's possible.' She paused for a moment, tilting the box to allow the light from a nearby lamp to illuminate the ornate carvings. Frowning, she turned to Harry, her sharp gaze picking out a series of symbols that had been cleverly interwoven into the design.

'What do you make of that?'

'Looks like some form of script…'

Annoyance tinged Harry's reply. He'd spent the best part of the day staring at the cube and had failed to spot anything that looked even remotely like writing, yet B'Elanna had homed in on it within minutes.

'Pass me that tricorder.'

B'Elanna had barely finished scanning the script when a loud rumbling echoed around the room. Tom looked down at his rebellious stomach, patting it fondly as it made its presence felt.

'Hey, what can I say…I'm a growing boy. Now if you've both finished, we should just about have time to snatch something to eat before Neelix tracks us down and reassigns us. And I thought Tuvok was bad …'

'Okay…okay. Anything for a little piece and quiet.' B'Elanna reached over and ran her fingers through Tom's hair, restoring order where before there was chaos.

'Bring it down to Engineering tomorrow Harry and I'll have a closer look at it. The computer should have finished the translation by then. As for you…' She gave in to temptation and planted a teasing kiss on the tip of Tom's nose before unceremoniously ejecting him from the couch.

'Go liberate some of those replicator rations you've been hoarding and find us something to eat that doesn't taste of leola root...'


	3. Part Two

**Part Two**

**All Hallows Eve  
2145**

A freezing mist clung low to the ground, dragging its fingers over the cracked gravestones that lurked within the shadow of the crumbling cathedral. Like a child clutching on to its mothers skirts, the icy tendrils attached themselves to the lower extremities of the two lost souls, currently to be found trudging across the vast expanse of the graveyard.

The taller of the two paused, her gaze drawn upwards by the soft beating of feathers against the night air. The child by her side gasped, tightening her grip on the woman's hand as the shadows parted to admit the dark silhouette of a great bird. On silent wings it swooped low over the ground, dispersing the mist into swirling eddies as it closed in on its hapless prey. Then, as silently as it had arrived it melted back into the night, its prize dangling from its razor sharp talons.

'I fail to see the recreational significance of …'

'Shhhh, Seven. I can hear music…'

As if on cue, a tremulous note rang out. Hanging in the air it drew their eyes to the ruined façade that dominated the scene. There, hanging suspended in the gaping hole that had once been filled by a vast stained glass window, was a strange light. Flickering in time to the music, it drew them into the shadows like a moth to a flame.

A strange feeling settled over the ex-borg. The temperature had remained constant during their time on the holodeck, yet she found herself shivering. She might even have considered terminating the experience had it not been for the death grip Naomi had on her hand.

'Further exploration is unadvisable without …'

She never got to finish her sentence. Naomi, her face alive with delight took off towards the source of the light, her unwilling companion dragged in her wake.

The uneven ground, hidden beneath its restless blanket of white did its best to impede their progress. Disintegrating gravestones lay shattered in their path, providing shelter to a multitude of faceless creatures that scuttled out of sight as they passed by.

The music lured them ever onwards, joined now by the unmistakable sound of dancing feet. Somewhere a fire crackled, sending sparks into the night and shivers down Naomi's spine.

They had almost reached the outer wall when the smell hit them…a foul stench that instantly brought to mind images of rotting leola root. Without warning the ground beneath their feet trembled, exploding upwards as the undead rose to claim their prize.

From out of the mist a severed hand, its mangled tendons dragging in its wake grabbed Naomi's ankle. Pulling her to the ground, the mist closed over her small body with greedy delight.

A child's scream echoed in the night…hanging in the air for a moment before dissolving into a fit of giggles as the hand proceeded to tickle her without mercy…

* * *

**All Hallows Eve  
2345**

'And another one bites the dust.'

Tom drained the last drop of blood red liquid from his glass, his eyes dancing as he notched up his 47th scream of the evening. At least he thought it was 47. He'd stopped counting after the Captain had succumbed to the 'curse of the hand' with a bloodcurdling yell that could be heard in the bowels of the ship.

After that he'd concentrated on making himself as scarce as possible, which was quite an achievement for a man with a bat'leth embedded in his skull. He knew he should never have allowed B'Elanna to select his costume for him.

He was about to brave the Captain's wrath and go in search of a refill for his glass when a zombie stumbled past him, a tray of themed party food in one hand and a jug of something loosely described as 'battery acid' in the other.

'Ohh…flame grilled fingers…just what I always wanted.'

'Have you tried them with the blood sauce? Neelix assured me that it comes in a variety of flavours. He was particularly keen on the O negative variant but it's a little bland for my taste. My personal favourite is the AB…really packs a punch!'

B'Elanna settled her broomstick against the wall, her features unrecognisable under the wart ridden mass of green gunge that had been applied to every inch of skin not covered by the shapeless black sack of a dress she wore. Contact lenses turned her eyes a fiery red, while blackened nails sharpened to lethal points completed the look.

Grinning affectionately at her partner she leant over, reaching out with a nail to spear an eyeball from the tray of a passing werewolf.

'Have you seen Harry?'

Tom dragged his gaze away from the hag at his side to scan the crowded ballroom. Voyager was running with a skeleton crew tonight.

Literally.

Those lucky enough to have the evening off were to be found wandering between the various holodecks, indulging their taste for terror in a selection of bloodcurdling holoprograms.

'Hmm…' B'Elanna looked up from the plate of ghoulash Neelix had pushed into her hands, to point in the direction of a nearby group of revelers.

'Third on the right. The headless horseman…minus his horse!'

'You mean the one standing next to the virgin sacrifice.'

A wicked grin lit up B'Elanna's face as she watched the white robed woman flirt outrageously with the blushing horseman.

'Poor Harry…Megan will eat him alive.'

Tom was giving serious thought to rescuing his friend when the Captain drifted by, her arm hooked comfortably around her escort for the evening. Dressed from head to toe in clinging black velvet, she was everything a respectable vampire should be. Skin as pale as alabaster…teeth rapier sharp, with a tell-tale dribble of blood that ran down from the corner of her mouth.

Chakotay's pallor matched that of the woman on his arm; the blood pouring from the fresh bite marks in his neck contrasting nicely with the light coloured tunic and trousers he had chosen for the occasion.

'Looks like Harry's not the only person who bit off more than he could chew.'

* * *

**All Hallows Eve  
2357**

'Captain! Commander!'

Neelix burst out from a concealed passageway, his pumpkin costume impeding his progress by virtue of its sheer size. Smiling warmly at the little talaxian Kathryn moved forward to relieve him of one of the trays he was carrying. A quick glance down at its contents had her opting for a liquid diet.

'Please Captain…could I interest you in a glass of blood wine, or perhaps a little snack. I've called this one 'roasted rack of ensign.'

Bursting with pride he held the tray out for inspection, leaving Kathryn hard pushed to find an excuse that wouldn't offend him. Her companion was worse than useless, his eyes dancing as he watched her struggle with her words. Finally taking pity on her he leant forward and captured one of the glasses that teetered near the edge of the tray.

'Thanks for the offer Neelix…but as you can see she's already eaten.' With his free hand he used a stray napkin to mop up the last dribble of 'blood' from his neck, tucking the bloodstained cloth into the waistband of his trousers for added effect. 'I'm sure she wouldn't say no to a drop of wine though.'

Kathryn's fingers were on the point of curling around the delicate stem of the glass when she felt the ship shudder beneath her feet. Icy fingers ran up her spine, chilling her to the bone. The glass slipped through her unresponsive fingers, shattering on the stone floor. Chakotay cursed silently as he felt her stiffen in his arms. Little by little he watched the worry he'd worked so hard to dispel come creeping back.

'Relax Kathryn, its probably just a little turbulence. Tuvok would have notified us if there was anything to be concerned about.'

She opened her mouth to speak but he launched a pre-emptive strike and stole a kiss, his lips capturing hers with a familiarity that had onlookers sighing in appreciation.

When he finally released her it was to find that they were alone, their audience having melted discretely into the background. She was still tense, her fingers digging into his arms but the worry had disappeared from her eyes. What he saw in its place set his heart racing.

'Better?'

'I will be once I have that wine you promised me.'

Kathryn changed her grip, tucking her arm under his as she sipped at the wine. She fought against … and defeated the urge to check in with Tuvok, aware that to do so could be interpreted in some quarters as a lack of faith in his abilities. Instead she concentrated on controlling the blush that was creeping up her body, dispelling the strange chill that had taken hold of her.

The wine settled on her tongue with surprising potency, earning her companion a questioning glance.

'Are you trying to get me drunk, Chakotay?'

'Kathryn…you wound me. The thought never entered my mind.'

'Hmmm, this is synthenol…isn't it?'

'Would I lie to you…' 

* * *

**All Hallows Eve  
2400**

Forgotten in the excitement of the party, the cube lay abandoned on the table in Harry's quarters. Lost in the darkness it sat patiently, counting down the seconds until the portal would open, spewing its contents on an unsuspecting world.

As if on cue, the dial began to glow. Barely discernible at first, the light slowly increased until the disc melted under its ferocity. Freed from confinement the molten liquid ran off into the multitude of grooves engraved into each of the cube's faces.

A sudden click reverberated around the room, sending shock waves spreading out like ripples in a pond…


End file.
